Overall, prices were mostly stable, with a 0.2% increase in petrol prices, compared to prices for food becoming 0.3% cheaper.

Prices for jewellery and watches saw the biggest increase month-on-month, rising by 11.8% as Christmas nears.

Statec estimates inflation to be at 0.9% for 2020 and rise to 1.8% next year. But the next indexation of wages--increasing salaries to match inflation--will not be due until the fourth quarter of 2021 or even early 2022, the statistics office said.